Cambodia/Thailand: practical guide and good addresses

Identity card

Formalities

Cambodia: a visa valid for one month and costing $20 is issued on arrival.

Thailand: passport valid for six months from the date of entry into the country.

Area code

Cambodia: + 855; (0)23 (Siem Reap); (0)63 (Phnom Penh).

Thailand: + 66; (0)2 (Bangkok).

Time difference

Cambodia: +5 hours in summer, +6 hours in winter

Thailand: +5 hours in summer, +6 hours in winter.

Currency

Cambodia: the riel (KHR). 1 euro = KHR 5,477 and 1 dollar = KHR 4,050 (October 2013). Note that there is no need to exchange dollars or euros, which are accepted everywhere in Cambodia.

Thailand: The bath (THB).
1 euro = THB 42.2 (October 2013).

Best season

Cambodia: November to March and June to August. Monsoon from April to October.

Thailand: November to March. April and May are very hot. The rainy season extends from June to October.

Group size

Cambodia: there is plenty of capacity in the major tourist centres. So anything is possible.

Thailand: Bangkok is admirably equipped with conference centres and hotels of all categories.

How to get there

THAI AIRWAYS operates a daily flight between Paris and Bangkok. Departure from Paris CDG at 1:30 p.m. and arrival in Bangkok around 6:30 a.m. the following day. Flights are operated by Airbus A 380 in three-class configuration, including Royal First Class. In Business Class, the airline offers seats that recline 180°. The service is extremely attentive and smiling, and the meals are particularly tasty. Immediate connection in Bangkok to Phnom Penh. The Thai airline also offers three daily flights to Siem Reap. Return flights from Bangkok to Paris are night flights, taking off at 00:05.

Tel.: 01 55 68 80 70
Internet: www.thaiairways.fr

AIR FRANCE offers six flights a week to the Thai capital in three-class B777s, including one Premium Economy flight. From there, a connecting flight to Phnom Penh is operated on a codeshare basis with Bangkok Airways. The airline's Siem Reap service is code-shared with Vietnam Airlines via Ho Chi Minh City (four Air France flights a week) or Hanoi (six Vietnam Airlines flights a week).

Tel.: 0820 320 820
Internet: www.airfrance.com

BANGKOK AIRWAYS operates four rotations a day between Bangkok and Phnom Penh and five to Siem Reap, both cities being an hour's flight from the Thai capital.

Phone: +49 (69) 133 77 565-6
Internet: www.bangkokair.com

For more information

Cambodia 

Embassy of Cambodia

4, rue Adolphe Yvon. 75116 Paris.
Tel: 01 45 03 47 20. Email:
ambcambodgeparis@mangoossta.fr Internet: www.ambcambodgeparis.info

Thailand 

National Tourist Office of Thailand

90, avenue des Champs-Élysées.
75008 Paris. Tel: 01 53 53 47 00. Internet: www.tourismethaifr.com

Not to be missed

Cambodia

In Siem Reap, in addition to the Angkor site, the National Museum
Angkor, the floating village of Chong Khneas on Tonle Sap Lake, the Siem Reap night market and the Pub Street cafés in the evening...

In Phnom Penh: the National Museum's extraordinary collection of sculptures, the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, a mini-cruise on the Mekong (Phoceamekong, Internet: www.phoceamekong.com),
the Russian market for souvenirs and, for the faint of heart, a moral duty, a shocking visit to the Khmer Rouge's S-21 detention centre, now the Tuol Sleng museum, dedicated to the genocidal crime.

Thailand

In Bangkok: Wat Phra Kaeo and the Grand Palace, the National Museum, the National Museum of Royal Barges, Chinatown, a walk along the Khlongs, a mini-cruise on the Chao Phraya River, Jim Thompson's house...

Siem Reap

Hotels

Sala Lodges

It's charming and very new in Cambodia. This lodge, which opened in February 2013 1 km from the centre of Siem Reap, has eleven traditional wooden houses on stilts scattered along an undulating path in the middle of micro-rice trees planted there just to look pretty. The result is a sort of peaceful village, flanked on one side by the reception pavilion and the chic, cosy restaurant, both perfectly designed and very contemporary in their tones and clean lines, and on the other by a very successful swimming pool, eliminating the lagoon blue considered too violent in favour of dark grey stone tiles. The houses? All different, they were bought in the surrounding villages, dismantled and then reassembled in Siem Reap. Although the rooms have been left as they were, the waxed concrete in the bathrooms is a reminder of the urban nature of the hosts. Each room is decorated with exquisite taste, notably with objects found here and there. The lodge can be fully privatised, ideal for an exclusive group. The houses can accommodate between two and five people.

498, Salakomroeuk
Tel.: +855 (0)63 766 699
Email : info@salalodges.com
Internet: www.salalodges.com

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor

We can't say that the very early 1930s incorporated the notion of mass tourism. But tourism did exist, reserved for the privileged, glamorous lovers of the mysteries of Asia. The hotel was built in those years to provide a luxurious welcome for the beautiful people who took the time to travel. The Raffles Grand Hôtel d'Angkor was refurbished in 1997, but the spirit is still there. Everything exudes the luxury and elegance of the Indochina of yesteryear: big brown wicker armchairs, Khmer sculptures and objets d'art scattered everywhere; carpets, fans and lanterns hung exactly where they're needed. At night, during gala evenings, the swimming pool is lit up with nearly a thousand floating candles. A magical experience. 117 rooms and suites, two villas, seven restaurants and bars, two theatre-style meeting rooms and five private areas for dinners and cocktails.

1 Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Khum Svay Dang Kum
Tel.: +855 (0)63 963 888
Email : siemreap@raffles.com
Internet: www.raffles.com/siemreap

Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa

The Victoria Resort's rooms are immaculate, brightened up with bright splashes of colour - cushions, plaids and curtains - and all have their own balcony. The furniture is obviously stylish, and the decorators have spared no expense on antique art and handicrafts. One of the city's best hotels, perfect for business groups.
129 rooms and suites, four restaurants and bars, conference rooms for up to 100 people.

Central Park, PO Box 93145
Tel.: +855 (0)63 760 428
Email : resa.angkor@victoriahotels.asia
Internet: www.victoriahotels.asia

Restaurants

Viroth's

Viroth's offers the very best of Khmer cuisine in a remarkably well-tended outdoor garden, chic but not ostentatious, and filled with works of art. For small groups of around thirty people.

246 Wat Bo St
Tel.: +855 (0)12 826 346
Email : viroth@online.com.kh
Internet: www.viroth-hotel.com

Cassia

Situated in the heart of the French Quarter and surrounded by lush gardens, it's hard to beat the location. The cuisine, led by French chef Laurent Baldini, is extremely creative, blending Khmer flavours with Western tastes. It's a great success. The completely refurbished restaurant serves light French specialities for lunch and gourmet dinners. It is available for private hire and can accommodate 60 people inside and 100 in the gardens. The owners are also in the process of building a very chic complex of six boutiques, including Éric Raisina and Theam's House.

Oum Khun (St.), Mondul 1 Village, Sangkat Svay Dangkum
Tel.: +855 (0)63 765 083
Email: danou_c@hotmail.com or sales@cassiacambodia.com
Internet: www.cassiacambodia.com

Le Malraux

Its name, Malraux, is in itself a whole programme... literary, of course. The decor is arty, a little loft, a little Art Nouveau, a little reinterpreted colonial and the cuisine, French and Khmer, is directed in grand style by the two chefs, David Martin and Ham Chhun. Very chic.

155, Bd Siwatha
Tel.: +855 (0)63 966 041
Internet: www.le-malraux-siem-reap.com

Café Indochine

The place is exceptional, set within the wooden walls of a traditional house that has been revisited. It's luxurious, exotic and, as far as the menu of royal Khmer cuisine is concerned, absolutely divine. The house serves over 70 wines from all over the world.

44 Sivatha St.
Tel.: +855 (0)12 964 533
Email : cafe.indochine@online.com.kh
Internet: www.cafe-indochine.asia

Off the beaten track

Éric Raisina

Silk, silk and more silk... Éric Raisina, of Madagascan origin and trained at some of Paris's top schools of applied arts, fell in love with Cambodia during a simple tourist visit. He came back and stayed. His villa-workshop, where he shows his haute couture collections, some of which are sublime, is open to the public by appointment, and can even be privatised for highly original cocktails. He also has numerous boutiques and representations around the world.

53 Veal Village, Kok Chork

Phone: +855 (0) 63 963 207

Email : info@ericraisina.com
Internet: www.ericraisina.com

Contact in France :
Christine Gleizes
Tel.: 06 62 43 53 61
Email : cgleizes@ericraisina.com

Theam's House

A garden at the end of a courtyard, an artist's studio where you can organise extraordinary cocktails, a boutique offering top-of-the-range objects that will make the best souvenirs, an extraordinary plunge into the world of the painter Theam Lim, and works by the artist everywhere. Even in progress.

25, Veal Village, Khum Kockchak
Tel: + 855 0 78 20 81 61
Email : maddy@theamshouse.com
Internet: www.theamshouse.com

Phnom Penh

Hotels

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra

There's no doubt about it: with its lively evening bar and lounges set up right in the lobby, this newly inaugurated Sofitel is right in line with the current trend. Everything is open and extends into a small shopping arcade, obviously very upmarket. The result is a very relaxed welcome. When it comes to cuisine, the bar has been set very high, with no fewer than seven restaurants and bars: La Coupole, serving French and Indochinese cuisine, as well as an Italian restaurant, another Chinese restaurant and, above all, an exceptional Japanese restaurant with small private lounges, in the purest Japanese tradition... When it comes to meetings, no half measures have been taken, with no fewer than eight rooms equipped with the latest technology and the largest ballroom in the country: 1,800 m2. 201 rooms and suites with views. Needless to say, the swimming pool is also huge.

26 Old August Site, Sothearos Blvd, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkamorn

Phone: + 855 23 999 200
Email : H6526@Sofitel.com
Internet: www.sofitel.com

Raffles Hotel Le Royal

A legend, of course; colonial revival elegance and a bar, the Elephant Bar, that has the whole of Phnom Penh buzzing. Opened in 1929, the establishment has seen just about every big name in the world pass through its doors, as well as many journalists during the Vietnam War. 170 rooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, several meeting and function rooms, including the Grand Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 400 people for special events.
chic and glamorous cocktails.

92 Rukhak Vithei Daun Penh
Tel.: +855 (0)23 981 888
Email : phnompenh@raffles.com
Internet: www.phnompenh.raffles.com

Restaurants

FCC

It's clear that while we're not talking about super luxury, we are talking about atmosphere... It's young, very popular with the press - or rather it used to be. It's a real eye-catcher, with a huge U-shaped bar, gigantic rooms, terraces, incongruous Corinthian columns and windows overlooking the Mekong. The food is certainly not three-star, but that's not why you come. The place can be partly privatised.

363 Sisowath Quay
Tel.: +855 23 724 014
Email : phnompenh@fcchotels.com

Internet: www.fcccambodia.com

Bangkok

Hotels

Sofitel SO Bangkok

Let's not be afraid to say it: located on the edge of Lumpini Park and close to the business centres and nightlife of the Silom district, this is one of Asia's finest 'urban design' hotels. Starting with its exterior architecture - a tower designed by the famous architect Smith Obayawat - its elegance sets it apart from other skyscrapers. Then there's its philosophy, which refers to the five elements of feng shui: water, earth, wood, metal and fire. Then there's the talent of fashion designer Christian Lacroix, who not only designed the staff suits, but also the Signature club, the lounge on the Executive floor. Everywhere, whether you are in the lobby, the ballroom, the rooms, the boutiques or one of the restaurants, there are surprises, all of them excellent. In some rooms, the bathtub is behind the glass wall; in the chocolate shop, a master practices his art in public; the breakfast room is bursting with choice and the panoramic restaurant offers one of the best views of the skyscrapers in Thailand's capital. Of course, the building is dotted with decorative elements and works of modern art of excellent quality. 238 rooms and suites, open-air swimming pool on the 10th floor, fitness centre, spa, four meeting rooms, ballroom for 250 people, three bars and restaurants...

2 North Sathorn Road, Bangrak

Phone: +66 (0)24 0000

Email : h6835@sofitel.com

Internet: www.sofitel.com

Restaurants

Blue Elephant

With its sumptuous surroundings, varnished floors, fans and tasselled chandeliers, Nooror Somany-Steppe's restaurant caters for everyone, whether they're visiting Bangkok or living here.
Including members of the royal family. What's more, business groups are welcome on the top floor to take part in Thai cooking classes. Unforgettable.

233 South Sathorn Road, Kwaeng Yannawa, Khet Sathorn

Phone: + 66 (0)2 673 9353

Internet: www.blueelephant.com

Restaurant in Jim Thompson's house

It's perhaps the most peaceful place in the whole of Bangkok.
Delicious too, with its wooden houses brought back from all over the country by the writer, collector, silk merchant and, incidentally, spy for the USA in the 1950s. His death remains a mystery. The restaurant can be fully reserved.

6/1 Soi Kasemsan 2, rama 1 Road
Tel: + 66 (0) 612-3601
Internet: www.jimthompson.com

Cocktails

The Sofitel roof terrace

So (sofitel.com) and the rooftop of the Centara Grand (www.centarahotelsresorts.com) offer two of the best views of Bangkok at night, when the city goes out to party.

Tahsaneeya Nava

Excellent dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River aboard a converted rice barge.

Phone: + 66 (0)2 437 49 32

Agency and incoming

Phoenix Voyages

82-83 Street 7B-Khu A- An Phu/An Khanh - District 2 Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam.
Phone: + 84 8 6281 0222
Email : info@phoenixvoyages.com
Internet: phoenixvoyages.com

Representation in Paris :
Soazig Lemoine
Tel.: 06 61 78 78 83

Mail: phoenixfrance01@phoenixvoyages.com

Practical guides

Cambodia: Lonely Planet, Gallimard (Laos-Cambodia traveller's library).

Bangkok: Petit Fûté Bangkok, Le Routard Bangkok, Cartoville Bangkok (Gallimard), Mode d'emploi (Gallimard), Thaïlande (bibliothèque du Voyageur.